Modern History Sourcebook:
Defense Minister Lin Piao:
The Nature of People's War, Statement of September 3, 1965

[]Comrade Mao Tse-tung's theory of people's war has been proved by the long practice of
the Chinese revolution to be in accord with the objective laws of such wars and to be
invincible. It has not only been valid for China, it is a great ontibution to the
revolutionary struggles of oppressed nations and peoples throughout the world. . . .It was on the basis of the lessons derived from the people's wars in China that Comrade
Mao Tse-tung, using the simplest and the most vivid language, advanced the famous thesis
that "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."He clearly pointed out:The seizure of power by armed force, the settlement of the issue by war,
is the central task and the highest form of revolution, This Marxist-Leninist principle of
revolution holds good universally, for China and for all other countries.[]Since World War II, U.S. imperialism has stepped into the shoes of German, Japanese and
Italian fascism and has been trying to build a great American empire by dominating and
enslaving the whole world. It is actively fostering Japanese and West German militarism as
its chief accomplices in unleashing a world war. Like a vicious wolf, it is bullying and
enslaving various peoples, plundering their wealth, encroaching upon their countries'
sovereignty and interfering in their internal affairs. It is the most rabid aggressor in
human history and the most ferocious common enemy of the people of the world. Every people
or country in the world that wants revolution, independence arid peace cannot but direct
the spearhead of its struggle against U.S. imperialism. . . .U.S. imperialism is stronger, but also more vulnerable, than any imperialism of the
past, It sets itself against the people of the whole world, including the people of the
United States. Its human, military, material and financial resources arc far from
sufficient for the realization of its ambition of dominating the whole world. U.S.
imperialism has further weakened itself by occupying so many places in the world,
over-reaching itself, stretching its fingers out wide arid dispersing its strength, with
its rear so far away and its supply lines so long. As Comrade Mao Tse-tung has said,
"Wherever it commits aggression, it puts a new noose around its neck. It is besieged
ring upon ring by the people of the whole world.". . .Everything is divisible. And so is this colossus of U.S. imperialism. It can be split
up and defeated. The peoples of Asia, Africa, Latin America and other regions can destroy
it piece by piece, some striking at its head arid others at its feet. That is why the
greatest fear of U.S. imperialism is that people's wars will be launched in different
parts of the world, and particularly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and why it regards
people's war as a mortal danger.U.S. imperialism relies solely on its nuclear weapons to intimidate people. But these
weapons cannot save U.S. imperialism from its doom. Nuclear weapons cannot be used lightly
.. . . .However highly developed modern weapons and technical equipment may be and however
complicated the methods of modern warfare, in the final analysis the outcome of a war will
be decided by the sustained fighting of the ground forces, by the fighting at close
quarters on battlefields, by the political consciousness of the men, by their courage and
spirit of sacrifice. Here the weak points of U.S. imperialism will be completely laid
bare, while the superiority of the revolutionary people will be brought into full play.
The reactionary troops of U.S. imperialism cannot possibly be endowed with the courage and
the spirit of sacrifice possessed by the revolutionary people. The spiritual atom bomb
which the revolutionary people possess Is a far more powerful and useful weapon than the
physical atom bomb.Viet Nam is the most convincing current example of a victim of aggression defeating
U.S. imperialism by a people's war. The United States has made South Viet Nam a testing
ground for the suppression of people's war. It has carried on this experiment for many
years, and everybody can now see that the U.S. aggressors are unable to find a way of
coping with people's war. On the other hand, the Vietnamese people have brought the power
of people's war into full play in their struggle against the U.S. aggressors. The U.S.
aggressors are in danger of being swamped in the people's war in Viet Nam. They are deeply
worried that their defeat in Viet Nam will lead to a chain reaction. They are expanding
the war in an attempt to save themselves from defeat. But the more they expand the war,
the greater will be the chain reaction. The more they escalate the war, the heavier will
be their fall and the more disastrous their defeat. The people in other parts of the world
will see still more clearly that U.S. imperialism can be defeated, arid that what the
Vietnamese people can do, they can do too.History has proved arid will go on proving that people's war is the most effective
weapon against U.S. imperialism arid its lackeys. All revolutionary people will learn to
wage people's war against U.S. imperialism arid its lackeys. They will take up arms, learn
to fight battles and become skilled in waging people's war, though they have not done so
before. U.S. imperialism like a mad bull dashing from place to place, will finally be
burned to ashes in the blazing fires of the people's wars it has provoked by its own
actions.

Source:From Lin Piao, Long Live the Victory of the People's War ! (Peking: Foreign
Language Press, 1965), pp. 42-58

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